Trials
by Admiral R.T
Summary: Story Complete! Tony prepares for the perfect evening: a night they'll remember the rest of their lives. But when a couples worst fear becomes reality, will more than dreams die?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

This is a Tony and Michelle fic that takes place between season 2 and season 3. It's going to be a romantic and fluffy fic, mixed with some action. Enjoy! (hopefully…lol).

Much thanks to my beta, Rae, for her help and advice.

Disclaimer: 24 and all its characters do not belong to me; although I really wish they did lol.

* * *

Tony Almeida couldn't help but grin as the store manager handed him the small, elegantly wrapped box that he had been impatiently waiting for the entire week. 

He paid for it and left the store, walking hurriedly over to Jack Bauer's car that was parked nearby.

He climbed in and glanced at Jack, "Mission accomplished."

Jack smiled and started to drive off, "I take it things went well then?"

"They sure did," Tony nodded, holding up the wrapped package to show it to him.

Jack laughed and looked over at Tony whose face looked tense; yet at the same time, through the five years he had worked with Tony, he had never seen him this happy and excited about something. He knew how important this was for Tony; after all he himself had been in the same situation once a long time ago with Teri.

"You look a little nervous," Jack stated.

Tony sighed with a wry grin, "Yeah, I am. I'm extremely nervous. I'm risking everything with this, including two and a half years of friendship. I always thought something like this must be really simple, but now I know it's not."

"Just relax Tony. The feeling is natural. Every guy goes through this before they propose to their girlfriend. Besides, you've been waiting for months to do this and you finally have the opportunity. Don't let the moment go," Jack said, encouragingly, a smile playing on his face.

"You're right, Jack. I'm probably worrying over nothing. But I can't seem to get the thought out of my head that she might say 'no'. I mean maybe it's too soon or what if it's not the right time…" Tony confessed. He was fidgeting in his seat.

"Oh come on! You've got to be kidding me! You and Michelle are too close for that to happen and you know it. You two are perfect for each other."

Tony chuckled and nodded. He had to agree. Out of all the women he had ever dated in his life, Michelle was the only one he had ever clicked with as well as one of the few people he could be himself around. Even with Nina he had found himself striving to be something he knew he couldn't be. With Michelle, everything came naturally.

After the day of the nuclear bomb, they had only gone on a few dates before they knew that what they had was one of a kind. She had moved in with him only four months ago, which happened after only three months of dating.

Their relationship was as perfect as any could be. Sure they had their ups and downs like every couple did, but he was grateful that he had a woman as smart, lovable, and beautiful as Michelle by his side to work things out. Throughout his life, he had never had much luck with women; and after what had happened with Nina, his self-esteem in that area had sunk even lower.

The car stopped as Jack pulled over on the side of Tony's apartment building. Tony moved to open the door to get out, but Jack stopped him and advised, "You'll be glad you did it, Tony; trust me. Just…" he paused for a moment, a look of seriousness passing over his face, "don't make the same mistake I did with Teri. Don't take Michelle for granted…ever. It'll be your biggest mistake if you do."

Tony sat in silence for a moment, mulling over what Jack had just said. He was right. Slowly, he looked up and nodded, "Don't worry, that's the last thing I'll do. Thanks for everything, Jack."

Jack nodded and wordlessly watched as Tony disappeared into the apartment building.

He started the car again and drove off, deep in thought. The last thing he wanted was for Tony and Michelle's relationship to end up like his and Teri's did, even though they had ultimately made up in the end, before she died.

"_I hope they'll be happy," _he thought, smiling to himself.

His thoughts were interrupted by the never-ending ring of his cell phone. Back to work.

* * *

Michelle hummed to herself as she tidied up hers and Tony's apartment. She had resorted to doing work around the house since she had been granted a much needed day off from work and also since there was nothing else to do. Tony would be coming home any minute. He had called her on the road early that morning and told her that he had been called in to finish some quick, last minute things at CTU and that it wouldn't take too long. 

"_I swear that man is going to find some way to die in that office of his," _she thought with a grin, a laugh escaping her throat. He was very responsible and a hard-working man, something she always adored about him from when she first met him at CTU; but sometimes she felt that he overworked himself.

Of course, she wasn't one to talk. It seemed that everybody that worked at CTU overworked themselves at one time or another to the point where it would drive most people insane. She couldn't complain though; after all, she loved her everything about her job….everything but the field work that is. Though she was rarely called to go out in the field, the mere prospect of it made her shiver.

Plus, it had been enough worrying about her own life and now she had to fear for Tony if he ever was called out. She wouldn't know what to do if something were to ever happen to him.

Michelle sighed out loud to herself, _"I'll bring it up to him sometime."_

She turned to make her way into their bedroom, but stopped herself when she heard the familiar, welcoming sound of a key turning in the lock to the front door. A few seconds later the door opened and Tony stepped in, a smile plastered on his face as he walked over to her.

"Hello darling," he greeted as he hugged her and gave her a brief kiss, the smile never leaving his face.

She returned his greeting in earnest and hugged him back, laughing, "Well don't you seem happy. Did something good happen at CTU today?"

He paused for a moment before answering, "Oh…uhhh…no, nothing good happened. I'm just happy to see you. Why? Do I need a reason to be happy?"

Michelle grinned and shook her head, walking towards their bedroom, "No, I was just wondering."

Tony followed her into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. "So...what'd you do today while I was gone?" he asked curiously.

She shrugged, "Nothing really. I just made some phone calls, tidied up the apartment a little…"

"I can see that," he replied, looking around. He reached over and rubbed his finger along the edge of the nightstand, "No dust." He grinned.

She nodded and chuckled, sitting next to him on the bed. He put his arm around her and they sat in silence. After awhile Tony broke the silence, "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you go get ready and we can go out for a nice, romantic dinner and evening?"

Michelle jumped up ecstatically, "Alright, that sounds good!" She headed into the bathroom, "just give me a few minutes and I'll be ready."

"Ok," Tony answered, his face breaking into another wide grin.

He fell back on the bed and was about to tell her to make sure she dressed up in something fancy when his cell phone rang from across the room. He grumbled to himself as he forced himself to get up from his comfortable position on the bed.

He reached for his cell phone and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Tony? It's Ryan Chappelle."

'_Ryan?' _He thought to himself as he rubbed his temple with his free hand, _'What could he want?' _Whatever it was, Tony desperately hoped he wasn't needed back at CTU; that would ruin the perfect he had planned for him and Michelle to have.

"Hey Ryan, what's up?"

"We need you and Michelle out right away on an urgent call."

Tony's shoulder slumped. Michelle walked out of the bathroom at the mention of Ryan's name and glanced at him with a quizzical look. He could only return her gaze with a defeated look. The probability that he was going to get both of them out of this was slim.

"Uhhh…Ryan, is there anybody else? We're supposed to be having the rest of the day off," Tony protested.

"I wouldn't be calling you if there was anybody else, Tony," Chappelle backfired.

Tony sighed; there was no way out of this. "Alright, we'll be at CTU in a few minu-"

"Not at CTU," Ryan interrupted, "You two are needed out in the field."

Tony froze, "The field! Ryan, we're not even field agents!"

From across the room he saw Michelle tense up, clearly upset at the prospect of field work. _'Crap…' _he thought to himself.

Ryan sounded like he was getting aggravated, "Yes I know that, Tony. But as I said before, there is nobody else. Normally we would have called Bauer, but he's already called in for another investigation."

Tony looked at Michelle and shook his head, "Alright, fine. What's happening?"

"Remember the Derick Laney case?" Chappelle inquired.

"Yeah," Tony replied. He sat down in a chair. Michelle walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, leaning on the arm of the chair.

Ryan continued, "Well, we just found out his address from that laptop we confiscated from one of his contacts. There's a team in place already, but we need agents to go in who know what they're dealing with and since you and Michelle have been on this guy's trail for a month now, you two are the most logical choice. You'll be given further instruction from Agent Baker when you get there,"

Ryan rattled off the address as Tony took out a piece of paper and wrote it down.

"You got it?" Ryan asked.

Tony nodded, fiddling with the cap of the pen, "Yeah, I got it."

"Alright, thanks Tony. I'm sorry about all this."

Tony responded softly, "Yeah. Bye Ryan." He shut his phone and placed it on the dresser next to him. He looked over at Michelle.

"So I take it we're not going to have that 'nice, romantic dinner and evening,' huh?" she said despondently. It was more of a statement than a question and she sounded frustrated. He couldn't blame her, though.

He looked at the ground, "I'm sorry, Michelle. I wish I could do something about it, but I can't."

Michelle shrugged as she walked towards the front door to their apartment. "I know, I know. It's just another part of our job," she said a bit harshly, her voice rising slightly.

Tony followed her, "Hey, I'm upset about this, too. Trust me, I'd rather be going out with you than go do work."

She shook her head, "It's not even that."

His head cocked to one side as he looked at her in confusion. "Then what is it, Michelle?"

"I hate doing field work, Tony. You have no idea how much just the thought of me and especially you going out into the field scares me," Michelle confessed; a hint of anger was evident in her voice.

Tony was surprised. He had known that she was upset about the whole ordeal, but he never would have imagined that she was going to get this distressed by it. Part of him sympathized with her and agreed with her while the other part of him couldn't help but feel frustrated with the way she was feeling. They didn't have time for her insecurities.

"Michelle, I understand why you feel the way you do. But there's nothing we can do. This is the job…and the life we've chosen."

"But Tony…" she interjected.

"No," though he knew he would mentally beat himself up for it later, he was starting to get aggravated. "Listen, if you can't do this, then I'll call Chappelle right now and tell him you're too unstable to work. But if you decide to do your _job, _everybody is expecting you to do it effectively and without any hesitation."

Michelle pulled back, hurt by his sharp reply. Tony stared at her while she stood shakily by the door while she tried to compose herself. Her hand reached for the handle and she twisted it, looking up at him as she opened the door. "I'll be fine, Tony," she replied quietly.

Tony sighed to himself as she walked out of their apartment to the car. He tried to collect himself before following her. Of all the things to happen, this was the last thing the both of them needed before field work. He wanted to talk to her about it and solve it now, but he knew they would have to save it for later. Right now they had to stay focused on their assignment, not each other.

After a few seconds he made his way down to their car and he hopped in, putting the key in the ignition. Michelle sat next to him despondently, her body facing the window.

'_Great…' _he thought to himself.

* * *

Derick Laney…the first time he had heard that name was two months ago when he had appeared and made some terrorist threats to the United States. After a wild goose chase on his trail, he finally managed to disappear for good. 

Then the other day they had stumbled upon another wanted criminal. After searching his house and finding his laptop and files, it was apparent that he was one of Laney's contacts. Tony had been that day that it might take awhile to sift through all the files and decrypt it, but he didn't think they would find anything of worth.

Thank God he had been wrong…that CTU had obtained Derick's address. When Tony had first looked through Laney's criminal records, what he had found had initially shocked him. The man was a psycho. He had been previously arrested and released for multiple acts of drug possession and dealing, starting riots, sexual assault and he was wanted for two subsequent murders. That combined with his new crime of terrorist activity put him high on the list of the United States' most wanted list.

This was the man's house they were going to. The responsibility of apprehending him was essentially in his and Michelle's hands; which was a prospect he wasn't too thrilled about. After all, this man was dangerous and it seemed he wasn't afraid to use lethal force.

Tony looked over at Michelle, who was still staring out the window. They hadn't said one word to each other ever since they had left the apartment. It was something that unnerved him. There was nothing he could do at the moment but wait for it all to be over.

Even though it hadn't really begun.

* * *

Tony stopped the car a block away from Derick's house in the nice, urban neighborhood. It didn't seem like the type of neighborhood that would house somebody like Derick; but after all the things Tony had seen in his life, it didn't really surprise him. 

When Michelle had stepped out of the car they made their way over to Agent Tom Baker and the rest of the CTU team that was situated on the other side of the street.

"Agent Almeida. Agent Dessler," Baker greeted with a nod.

Tony and Michelle replied in the same manner. "So what's going on?" Michelle asked.

'_She's going into agent mode once again,' _thought Tony with a twinge of disappointment, noticing the stoic expression on her face and the tenseness in her body. Although he liked her ability to focus and work hard, he still enjoyed the carefree attitude she normally carried around him.

His thoughts were interrupted by Agent Baker's reply, "Well, we've got the whole house surrounded and we also have a medic on standby in case anything goes wrong. According to the infrared and satellite imaging that CTU is providing, Laney is in the house and as far as we know, he has no idea that we're here."

"Good," Tony said, "let's keep it that way. Make sure your men stay hidden and out of sight."

Baker nodded and proceeded to advise them on the infiltration mission, showing them the schematics of the house as he spoke, "There's a back entrance on the southern side of the house that's not rigged like-"

Michelle interrupted, "He's got his doors rigged?"

"Yes, he's either been expecting someone or he's being overly careful. Anyways, once you get inside, secure Laney and radio us on the two-way. The team will then move in from their positions."

"Alright…seems simple enough," Tony responded. He looked at Michelle and she caught his gaze.

"Let's go," he motioned to her to follow him.

They stealthily made their way over to Laney's house, careful to not get in the way of any of the house's windows. The two of them stopped outside the back door, one on either side of the door's frame.

He radioed in, careful to keep his voice to a whisper, "We're going in. Make sure all exits are secure once we enter."

"Copy that," came the reply.

Tony looked over at Michelle one last time, "You ready?"

She nodded and glanced up at him. Though she hid it well around everybody else, he could tell she was extremely nervous. This was their first time working together in the field, and though he was just as unsure as she was, he still found comfort knowing that she was with him, even though they had just had an argument…which was a rare thing that happened between them.

He nodded, "Ok…cover me. I'll go in first."

"Ok." She brought her gun up to her side as he did the same with his. It was now or never. He swiftly kicked the door open, bringing his gun up to bear as he stepped inside to a nicely furnished kitchen. Nobody was in sight from what he could see. Michelle followed him in as he made his way silently across the room, careful to aim his gun in every corner in case Derick was waiting to take them by surprise.

The kitchen was secure. He looked into the next room; it appeared to be the living room of the house. Tony looked back at Michelle and motioned her over. She scurried over to him, her hands quivering and her breath shaky.

He stepped cautiously into the living room. The only light in the room came from the sun streaming in through the closed curtains of a window. His eyes shifted across the room, looking for any sign of the man they were looking for. His gaze fell upon a hall way across the room.

Tony signaled to Michelle and she nodded. He strided towards the hallway carefully, so as to not hit any of the furniture.

'_Derick has to be in there,' _he thought to himself, willing himself to push past the fear that was threatening to overwhelm him.

He paused to check in a niche when he heard a series of footsteps and a muffled scream from behind him. Instinctively, he pivoted towards the noise; turning to face whatever it was that had made it. His eyes went wide and his blood ran cold at what he saw in front of him.

"No…"

* * *

**A/N:** Please leave a review and tell me what you think. I really enjoy feedback and it definitely motivates me more to update. D 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Thanks for all the reviews everybody!

Well, here's chapter 2. I hope you all like it. Forgive me if I don't get the medical and technical jargon right…I've never really been good at that stuff. Plus, this chapter is a bit shorter than the first one, but I promise the next chapter will be much longer. :P

Disclaimer: 24 and all its characters do not belong to me; although I really wish they did lol.

* * *

"No…" he stammered. 

Tony instinctively took out his gun, aiming it at Derick from across the room; he froze when he saw Derick holding Michelle against him, a knife at her throat. Thoughts rushed through his head as every muscle in his body tensed. What was he going to do? If he attacked him, there was a great risk that Michelle would get hurt. It was a risk he wasn't willing to take.

"You take one stop closer and I'll kill her," Derick rasped from across the room.

"If you touch her; I swear I'll kill you," Tony seethed through clenched teeth. He lowered the gun, able to do nothing but result to threats he knew he couldn't fulfill.

Derick sneered, "You're not exactly in a position right now to be making empty threats. Now put the safety on the gun and throw it away from you slowly."

Tony narrowed his eyes and did as he said, while looking for windows of opportunity to make his move on Derick without hurting Michelle. He averted his gaze to her to see how she was holding up. Fear was the way she composed herself.

As seconds slowly passed by, he realized entirely the gravity of the situation…and the mission. According to CTU, their mission was to bring down Derick at all costs, even if it meant losing an agent. He had always been loyal to CTU, and above all, his country; but right now, protecting Michelle was the only thing that mattered.

He desperately looked around the room for something that would help him, but there was nothing. Calling for help on the two-way was out of the question since he didn't know how Derick would react. He was alone. His only options were to attack Laney when his guard was down…or he could negotiate with him. Negotiating wasn't something he wanted to do, but he didn't have a choice.

Michelle's mind was also racing as Derick held her tightly. She could see in his eyes that an internal battle was raging within him… a battle whether to stay focused on the mission at hand, which was to acquire Derick Laney at all costs, or to protect her. The human, insecure side of her wanted to be saved; wanted to be protected by her personal "knight in shining armor", but the professional side of her screamed for him to charge Derick and arrest him, even if she got injured in the process.

But as she gazed back at him, she knew that he wouldn't do it...couldn't do it. As she saw his shoulders slump in temporary defeat, she knew what decision he had made; and although she wished that he had made the other choice, she didn't doubt that if she were in his position, she would do the same thing.

"What do you want?" Tony relinquished curtly.

Derick smiled; "Now we're getting somewhere. I want to leave this place without being arrested; as well as unharmed."

Tony sneered, "That's not going to happen, Derick. Now let her go!"

"My patience is running low!" shouted Derick, his grip on the knife tightening. Michelle cringed as the knife dug into her neck and she vaguely felt some blood drip down her neck. Derick continued, "Now either you help me or you watch her die."

Tony grimaced as he saw her wince…saw the blood trickle down her neck slowly. He looked down momentarily, trying to see if there was another way out of this…but there wasn't. He looked up and nodded slightly.

Michelle whimpered, "No Tony! Don't help hi-"

Derick jerked her backwards, "Shuttup!" He started moving towards the back door, the hand holding the knife briefly faltering away from Michelle's neck.

It was the exact opportunity that Tony needed. He lunged at Derick, stepping in between him and Michelle, reflexively pushing her out of the way. The knife slipped out of Derick's grasp as Tony wrestled him to the ground. They struggled for control over the other; while Tony was trying to keep him pinned down, Derick was clawing desperately for the knife, neither winning over the other. Derick eventually managed to land a blow to Tony's stomach and he fell to the side, clutching his stomach, as Derick dove for the knife that was across the room on the floor.

Tony forced himself to crawl after him, still reeling from the dizzying effects of the punch. He was about to tackle Derick again when he whirled around, the knife in his hand, and attacked him. The knife sliced through thin air, barely missing Tony's chest as he fell backwards.

Derick continued his assault as Tony scrambled to get out of the way, trying to gain the upper hand again whenever he could. He found himself backed up against the wall. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Michelle trying to help him as much as she could.

He yelled at her, wanting her to get out of the way in case Derick decided to go for her. "Michelle! Go get backup! Now!" They were in desperate need of help. Such a simple mission had turned into a nightmare.

She hesitated briefly, but then nodded and ran out of the house, looking back over her shoulder one last time. Tony averted his full attention back to Derick who was still coming at him, rage and hate apparent in his eyes and body.

Tony looked around wildly, trying to find something to defend himself with; but there was nothing. He managed to land a kick across Derick's face and he recoiled in pain for a moment, spitting blood out of his mouth, but then was back on his feet. Tony kicked again, his back still up against the wall, hoping to be lucky enough to land another kick. He felt his foot connect with something, along with hearing an audible crack. A searing pain spread throughout his leg, but there wasn't enough time to check what it was.

Derick was down on the ground and Tony pounced on him, finally pinning him to the ground. Derick writhed in pain.

Tony leaned in and scoffed, "Who's the vulnerable one now, Laney?"

Derick struggled more, trying to break free, wincing with every jerk. Tony guessed he had a few broken ribs. Two CTU agents rushed in the door and one of them quickly handed him a pair of handcuffs. Tony put the handcuffs on and stood up, dragging Derick up with him in one swift motion.

The other agent approached him, grabbing Derick by the arm, "Agent Almeida, I'm Agent Kent Jenson and this is Andrew Lawson. We'll take over from here."

Tony nodded in appreciation and thanked them, eager to leave the house and find out where Michelle was. He took a step toward the door and nearly passed out from the pain that burned through his right leg. He yelped and fell down.

Agent Jenson came over to him and looked at his leg, a look of concern passing over his face. He turned to Agent Lawson, who was holding Derick and asked, "Can we get a medic in here right away? His leg is cut up pretty bad; he might need some stitches."

He nodded and left with Derick, who was muttering obscenities under his breath as Agent Lawson dragged him out the door.

'_Great," _Tony chided himself, _'Just what I need.'_ The pain in his leg wasn't getting any better and he hoped the medic would come soon. He looked around at the spacious house, his thoughts wandering over to Michelle. She had obviously succeeded in getting the help he had asked for, which he was grateful for. He could only hope that she was okay.

* * *

Michelle waited anxiously outside of Derick's house for Tony to come out. The more time that passed, the more nervous she became. What if he had been injured? What if she hadn't been fast enough to get help? She would never be able to forgive herself if something terrible happened to him. 

She saw an agent walk out of the house with Derick in tow. She ran up to him. "Excuse me; I was wondering if you could tell me if everything is okay with Agent Tony Almeida."

Agent Lawson glanced at her and replied, "He's with another one of our agents. I'm going to go get a medic for him now."

'_A medic!' _she thought frantically. "Is he all right! What happened!"

He was about to reply when Derick interrupted and remarked snidely, "Nothing too bad. I just managed to give him a little nick in the leg, that's all." He smirked.

Agent Lawson jerked him, "Be quiet!" He looked back over at her and replied, "Don't worry ma'am; he's fine. The most he'll need is a few stitches."

"Ok, thank you," Michelle said softly.

He nodded grimly and walked away, taking Derick with him.

Michelle sighed fearfully and hurried inside. She walked back into the living room and saw Tony sitting on the floor, his back against a sofa, a pained look was apparent on his face as he looked up at her. His right pant leg was ripped open and on his leg was a gash that covered the length of his calf. He was applying pressure to the wound. She gasped and ran over to him, leaning down next to him and throwing her arms around him.

He held her and whispered, "Hey, it's alright, Michelle; nothing a few stitches can't fix."

She said nothing and looked up at him, forcing the tears that threatened to spill over to go away. It wasn't the time for her to have an emotional breakdown. She wanted to say so much, but only managed to say a soft, "I'm sorry."

His face became serious, "There's nothing for you to be sorry about, Michelle. What happened happened and there was no way it could have gone differently; so don't worry about it. You're okay and that's all that matters. Plus, Derick is in custody now."

She wanted to say more, but the medic was walking through the door, so she stopped herself. The medic came over and introduced himself as Grant Davis. He and Michelle helped Tony up slowly. He winced in pain as they brought him to the makeshift medical area where his leg was stitched and wrapped.

Grant turned to her and insisted that he check out her neck where the knife had dug in. She resisted at first, but with Tony's encouragement she let him look her over. As she already knew, it was nothing more than a scratch.

Michelle desperately wanted be alone with Tony so they could talk, but she was once again interrupted by Agent Baker, who had come over to debrief them. After both of them had given their accounts of what had happened, they were finally cleared to leave.

She looked over at the armored car and watched them put Derick, who was flanked by two agents, in the back. He looked up and their eyes connected, his dark, hateful gaze piercing into hers. She felt as if her soul was bared to him and she looked away uneasily. His malicious grin was the last image she saw of him as they closed and locked the doors.

Tony placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her towards their car. They walked towards it slowly, Michelle helping Tony as he limped along, favoring his injured leg. Neither of them spoke, even though they both wanted to say something to break the awkward silence that had settled in between them

"I think you're going to have to drive," Tony pointed out with a lopsided grin as he walked over to the passenger's side and slid in.

She opened the driver's door and nodded in agreement, "Okay, I will."

Michelle started the car and headed towards their apartment, away from Derick's house….away from the small nightmare that had unexpectedly crept into their lives. Hopefully, everything would soon be over by the end of the day.

They had managed to escape unscathed from the hurdle that had been thrown their way at Derick's house and now it seemed that they only had one more issue to work out; the argument. Out of all the events that had occurred in the day, it seemed strange that this was the one that weighed the heaviest on his heart. After all, their lives had been in danger only an hour before.

He sighed. It was definitely going to be a long night.

* * *

Feedback, whether it is good or bad, is always appreciated! There's going to be one more chapter after this.

Oh and I also reposted Chpater 1 because I just realized it didn't post the seperation marks I had originally put in. Sorry if there was any confusion.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Here's the final chapter. Hehe. Thanks again for all the reviews! And thanks again to my beta, Rae.

And once again…the disclaimer: 24 and all its character don't belong to me, they belong to Fox and whoever else. grumbles lucky people…

* * *

The ride home was quiet, both of them lost in their own thoughts of the tiring day. 

Tony couldn't stop thinking about how he had almost lost her. Had there been another way, a safer one, to approach the situation? Michelle's life had been on the line only mere minutes before. The image of Derick Laney holding the knife against Michelle's throat….the scared look on her face as a small trail of blood had started to trickle down her neck replayed itself over and over in his mind in vivid detail. His hand moved to his forehead, wiping away a bead of sweat that was forming as his brows furrowed.

He tried unsuccessfully to push the image out of his mind, casting a glance over at Michelle. What was she thinking about? He could tell that she was shaken up from the ordeal; she normally wasn't this quiet when they were alone together. He couldn't blame her, though; having your life threatened could take a toll on anyone, no matter how strong a person thought they were.

The fight that had occurred between them before they had been called in weighed heavy on his heart, though. The two of them rarely had arguments, but when they did he always felt horrible about the argument afterwards. This time was no different except that, under the circumstances, they may have never been able to make up if something had gone wrong. He would have never been able to forgive himself if something had.

As much as he wanted to talk at that moment, he knew it wasn't the right moment. He still needed time to think things through more thoroughly, and he knew Michelle did, too. It would be better to say something when they were both situated and at ease in their own apartment, rather then now when they were both still on edge.

He sighed to himself in frustration. This was not how he had wanted the day to turn out.

* * *

After entering their apartment, Michelle looked at him and said, "I'm going to go take a shower, ok?" 

Tony nodded and hobbled towards the kitchen, his leg throbbing with every step, while Michelle walked to the bathroom. He called over his shoulder, "Ok, I'll start making dinner."

He sighed loudly again as he took out a chicken and started making a simple dinner. Neither of them had broken the awkward silence that had set in during the car ride home except for now, which hadn't been the type of chat he desperately wanted to have. Although he knew that they would eventually talk and make up during the course of the night, he couldn't help but feel a little depressed about it. There was always a silent fear echoing in the back of his mind that she would leave him if one of their arguments ever went too far, though he doubted that this was one of those.

He snorted, _'Tony…stop exaggerating. You know that that'll never happen. We're too close.'_

Although it had taken a while, he trusted her more than anybody. She had the perfect type of personality, mixed with honesty and complete innocence that could make even the hardest, coldest person open up. Michelle had been the only one that he could open up to completely and not have to worry about sounding like an idiot or being chastised about his feelings. He had bared his soul to her on many occasions during the course of the past few months. They had both been learning from each other and were growing in their relationship with each new day. And although neither of them had spoken of it, marriage was evident in both their minds.

Tony froze, his eyes averting to the place where he had hidden the ring until the right moment. All his plans to propose to her had fallen apart. His gaze shifted back to the dinner that he was making in front of him and he thought for a moment.

'_Maybe I can still pull this off,' _he thought, rubbing his chin. All was not lost.

* * *

Michelle sighed to herself as the water cascaded gently over her sore and tired body. It was a much needed refreshment after what had happened, allowing herself to calm down and think clearly about the days events. 

'_What a day,"_ she thought to herself, _'First an argument with Tony and then the nightmare at Derick Laney's house.'_

She groaned quietly. Out of all the things that she hated doing, having an argument with Tony was right at the top of the list. The disagreements they had were usually short lived, but it always left a small toll on her until they talked it over.

'_It's going to be an interesting night,' _she thought warily. There had been many hectic days in her life, but this one ranked as one of the highest. If it hadn't been for Tony's selflessness and quick thinking, Derick would have gotten away…or she would have been killed.

Michelle remembered looking over at Tony while they were driving home…remembered seeing that his usual cheerful demeanor was replaced by a look of insecurity and apprehension. It wasn't something she was used to seeing in him. He was always so strong, never showing any hint of anxiety or fear.

'_Fear of losing me…'_

It had broken her heart to see him in that rare state of emotions. He was probably feeling the same way she was. They would get through it though, like they always did. It seemed that whenever there was hardship, the two of them always managed to grow closer and even deeper in love.

Nothing like that had ever happened between her and her older boyfriends. When things got rough, they grew apart until they finally broke up; it was the exact opposite with Tony. She had never been more open with anybody in her life.

Michelle couldn't help but smile as she thought of the many nights they had stayed up talking and sharing their experiences with each other. They were going to get through this day all right.

* * *

They ate dinner in silence; the tension in the air could be felt by both of them and neither wanted to break the silence. When Tony announced he was going to take his turn in the shower, Michelle walked into their bedroom and got ready for bed. 

As she lay down on the bed she let her mind wander over to the one memory she was trying to suppress. Derick Laney's sadistic grin flashed in front of her eyes…the pained look in Tony's gaze as he grappled over what decision to make. She shivered and ran her hand over the place on her neck where the knife had left its mark on her skin. As much as she tried to repress the tears that were forming in her eyes she couldn't anymore. Vaguely, she heard the shower stop and she turned over on her side, not wanting Tony to see her start to cry.

Tony walked into their bedroom feeling a bit more refreshed. He had taken some medicine to help with the pain in his leg before he had gotten in the shower, so it wasn't hurting as bad as it had been. He looked over at Michelle who had her back turned away from him. He put on some fresh boxers and was about to get a glass of water when he heard a small, almost inaudible sniffle escape from her.

His brow furrowed. He climbed on the bed and whispered softly, "Michelle? Are you okay?"

"I'm- I'm fine, Tony," she replied despondently, trying to keep her voice steady as she said it.

But Tony knew better and he wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer, especially when he knew something was the matter….especially when he knew what was bothering her. He gently turned her over to face him and lightly wiped the tears away from the corners of her eyes, "You don't look like you're fine," he commented.

She buried her head in his chest, "I just… I hate going through this. I'm sorry for everything…..Derick's house-"

He cut her off, "Listen to me, what happened at Derick's house couldn't be helped. It wasn't your fault. I meant what I said at his house and I mean it now."

Michelle pulled back and shook her head, "But if I had been paying more attention, you wouldn't have been put in the position you were put in…and you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Tony couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was she blaming herself?

He pulled her in close again, "He came out of nowhere, Michelle. Not even I saw him until he had grabbed you. Nobody could have seen it coming."

Michelle had no choice but to agree with him, even though deep down she knew he was right. "All right."

Tony knew something was still wrong from the tone in her voice. After a long pause, he tentatively asked, "Is there anything else?"

She sighed and after thinking a moment, she nodded. Tony decided to take a stab at what he thought it was. "Is it about the argument we had before we left?"

Michelle looked up at him and nodded again, "I'm sorry, Tony. I hate it when we argue."

He smiled softly and said, "Everybody goes through them at one point or another in any relationship; I'd be a little worried if they didn't. And you know as much as I do that they bring us closer together," he lifted her face, "Besides, we always get through them."

Tears were forming in her eyes again as she replied, "I could've lost you, though. And I would have never been able to live with myself knowing that our last moments together were spent arguing."

"I know…I know; I feel the same way; I hate it when we argue with each other. I'm sorry, too," agreed Tony. "But we got through it, didn't we?"

Michelle nodded into his chest again, feeling as if a burden had been blessedly lifted from her heart as she felt herself starting to calm down. There was still an issue to resolve though; the issue they had been arguing about in the first place: Field work. As much as she hated the thought of it, she knew it was part of their job, no matter what. There wasn't any way to get around it, other than to resign, which neither of them were willing to do. They both loved their jobs.

Her resolve over the issue strengthened as she thought more about it. The most they could do during field work was stay strong and focused until afterwards, when it was all over and they could sit down and think about it or fall apart.

Unbeknownst to her, Tony had slipped away while she was indulging in her thoughts to grab the ring. Things seemed like they were finally smoothing over, even though he wanted to bring up and continue the discussion about field work they had been arguing about in the first place. But it was still an opportune moment to propose and he couldn't pass it up. He slipped the ring box in his back pocket and made his way back into the room, where he saw Michelle lying on the bed.

"And where did you go?" asked Michelle. She hadn't even noticed he had gone, until she had snapped out of her reverie and had looked around for him.

"Just out to the kitchen to get something," he stated stoically.

"Oh, ok," she replied, sitting up. It was now or never. "Listen, Tony. I know I said earlier today that I didn't want either of us doing anything in the field; and I still don't like the idea of it. But I realize it's a part of our jobs that needs to be done."

Tony was speechless; he hadn't expected her to change her opinion and accept the fact that doing work in the field was an inevitable part of their jobs. He wondered what had caused her to change her opinion. She had obviously been thinking a lot during the past few hours. Could it have been from something that happened at Derick's house?

He wasn't sure what it is, but he was content with her answer. He replied, "I hate it, too. And I'll try to get it so we can avoid them as much as possible. May I ask what changed your mind?"

She shrugged, "It's unavoidable, I guess."

Tony nodded and laid down next to her, "Even if it means one of us getting hurt?"

Michelle paused and said quietly, "That's what I don't like…but we'll get through each individual circumstance as it comes."

They lay in silence side by side, both of them looking up at the ceiling.

Tony sighed contentedly, finally allowing himself to fully relax. What she had said comforted him. He looked over at Michelle, who also seemed more at ease than before. He was relieved they had worked everything out and that Derick's house was now behind them for the most part.

He felt Michelle turn on her side and cuddle up against him, her hand on his chest. "I love you, Tony."

A smile spread across his face as he wrapped his arms around her, "I love you, too. I always will, no matter what." He paused momentarily. This was it…the perfect moment he had been waiting for. His heart started beating rapidly in his chest as he turned on his side so they were face to face. Gently, he reached over and tucked a curl behind her ear.

Slowly, he reached into his back pocket and withdrew the ring box, gazing into her eyes as he opened it. The words he had planned to say earlier were now completely forgotten, _"This definitely isn't as easy as it looks in the movies…'_ he thought nervously.

"I know this may be sudden, Michelle, but I think it's the perfect time. With all we've been through and the months that I've known you and spent with you, I've felt a connection that I've never known with anybody else before in my life. And…I want to spend the rest of my life with you, through everything, whether it is good or bad."

Her eyes widened as she uttered, "Tony…"

He slipped the ring on her finger and asked anxiously, "Will you…marry me?"

Michelle's mind was racing. Had she just heard him right? Was this a dream? Did Tony really just propose to her? Even though they had only been together for not even a year, she had dreamed about this moment since she had realized she had fallen in love with him. If she hadn't been lying down, she would have fallen down and fainted. Words failed to describe how overjoyed she felt at the moment. She only managed to throw her arms around Tony and utter a quiet, yet emotional, "Yes!"

Tony pulled back. Michelle smiled; nothing could mistake the priceless look of pure delight that was etched into every contour of his face. "R-really?" he stuttered incredulously.

She nodded and leaned in, the overpowering tension in the room shattered whatever self control she had. Her lips gently parted his in a tender, yet passionate kiss. He returned the kiss with fervor, letting an almost inaudible groan escape his lips as he rolled over so that Michelle was underneath him. For Tony, the moment could be compared to that of paradise, feeling an indescribable and incomparable feeling of elation and love.

Michelle pulled back momentarily but Tony leaned into her to kiss her again, just as passionately as before. She didn't object and pulled him closer, opening her mouth to his willingly. This time, he pulled back.

"I love you," he said breathlessly, gazing into her chocolate eyes, "and thank you."

She returned his gaze, and just as breathlessly responded, "No…thank you. Thank you for being there for me all the time. I love you, Tony, more than anybody I've ever loved before. I don't know if I could live without you…"

Tony fell on his side so they were face to face, arms still wrapped around each other, their foreheads touching. He found himself stuttering over what he wanted to say to respond to Michelle's confession. He felt the same way as she did. Wordlessly he reached up and tucked a curl behind her ear and planted a brief kiss on her lips.

"I wouldn't be able to live without you either," he said quietly. That was all that needed to be said.

They hugged each other again and moved so that they were in comfortable positions. Tony reached over to the night stand beside the bed and turned off the light. Michelle soon fell asleep, the rise and fall of her chest moving against his side as he settled in beside her. His hands moved over hers and he felt the cool touch of the new gold ring that was on her finger.

He looked up at the dark ceiling and smiled. The two of them were meant to be and nothing would ever separate them. Michelle's smiling face was the last thing he saw as he drifted into a sound sleep, cradled close to his fiancée's heart.

* * *

A/N: Reviews and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated! Please let me know what you thought of the whole story! 

I'll probably write some more fics in the future, I don't know when lol, but it will happen.


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